Chongqing plans to boost pre-hospital emergency care

With the aim of improving the levels of pre-hospital emergency care, Southwest China's Chongqing recently issued new management measures for medical institutions, according to officials from Chongqing Municipal Health Commission told to local media on June 15.

Pre-hospital emergency medical care refers to treatment given to patients before arrival in hospital after activation of emergency medical services. For severely ill or injured patients, acting quickly in the pre-hospital period is crucial with decisions and interventions greatly affecting outcomes.

The pre-hospital care can involve first aid tasks, mainly on-site rescue, and emergency treatment during transit and monitoring, before the patients are delivered to the medical institutions.

Medical institutions involved in the pre-hospital care system are institutions at all levels, as determined by the health administration department. They are included in the unified dispatches of 120 dispatch command centers.

Officials said the new management measures have further streamlined and standardized the management of medical institutions in the pre-hospital emergency care system.

They have clarified the responsibilities of public medical institutions for pre-hospital care and encouraged non-public medical institutions to join the system.

At the same time, the measures have clarified the standards for those medical institutions in the care system and the responsibilities for treatment of these medical institutions.

The measures are based on the relevant standards and requirements of the State, in combination with the actual situation in Chongqing.

Officials said the measures also include standards for the evaluation of the pre-hospital care in township hospitals and the specific work requirements for evaluation of the pre-hospital care at second-class and above hospitals -- in terms of vehicle management, personnel management, quality management, workflow and service specifications.